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(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

E. T. STARR 88 W. J. .PEYTON.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND POWER DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM;

Patented July 18, 1882.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.'

E. T. STARR & W. J. PEYTON.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND POWER DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

No. 261,490. Patented July 18, 188.

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- it being our main object to provide a safe, eco- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELI T. STARR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND \VILLIAM J. PEYTON, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND POWER-DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,490, dated July 18, 1882,

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELI T. STARR, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and WILLIAM J. PEY- TON, of Washington, in the District of Oolumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Lighting and Power- Distributing Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates more especially to certain improvements in distributing electricity as a source of power and for lighting dwellinghouses and other buildings, street-lamps, &c.,

nomical, and reliable system or method of and means for electric lighting,in order to displace to a great extent the use of gas and similar artificial illuminators.

The objections to the use of gas for illumi nating purposes in dwellings, other buildings, street-lamps, &c., are well known. Gas is dangerous, it poisons the atmosphere in closed rooms, and does not give a steady, pure, and brilliant light. The electric light, on the contrary, does not vitiate the air, while its purity and brilliancy meet the requirements of artificial illumination.

The systems of electric lighting heretofore introduced are objectionable principally on account of the liability of highly-heated conductors or apparatus to set fire to buildings or inflammable substances in their vicinity, and on account of the cost of producing and maintaining the lights.

WVe are not aware that heretofore a practlcal and successful system of electric lighting has been invented or devised so as to supersede the use of gas for domestic lighting.

One of theprincipal objects of our invention is to substitute the electric light in place of gas for domestic purposes in a safe, desirable, and economical manner.

The subject-matter claimed by us as of our invention is first fully described, and then particularly pointed out at the close of the specification.

The accompanying drawings show our improved apparatus as organized in the best way now known to us. It is to be understood, however, that some of our improvements may be organized in ways differing from that shown,

and that some of our said improvements may be used without the others.

Figure l is a diagram of one way of organizing our improvements, the view showing a main conducting-wire through which a current 5 of electricity to charge a series of secondary or storage batteries and to supply current to a series ot'street-lamps passes, there being also shown another circuit by which the storagebatteries may be thrown into or out of the main 6o circuit, so that they may be charged and then cut out, and the current of the charging-line made to flow through the street-lamps to work them direct while the storage-batteries are working the lamps of the houses, halls, or other places in which they may be placed; and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing our improvements as organized in a way somewhat ditt'erent from the organization exhibited in Fig. 1.

One or more steamengines or other form of motor, A, (not necessary to be particularly described or shown,) are used to drive one or more dynamo-electric machines or mechanical generators of electricity, B, the form or construction of which is immaterial so long as it is ordinary gas-pipe main. The main circuit-wire 8 O, or a branch thereof,is preferably run under ground from the street into the lower room, hall, passage, cellar, yard, Outhouse, or back building of each house to be lighted, in order to charge a storagebattery or series of battero ies, D, in such cellar or other place, as clearly shown in the drawings. The line 0, or branch thereot',overwhichthecharging-currentpasses, is provided near each battery with a switch,

E, which may be organized as shown in the 5 figures, whereby any one or moreof said batteries D may be put in the circuit of the main line, or of its branch, to be charged without affecting the others.

It will thus be understood that we have a 100 The electric current generated by the main line over which the charging-current passes, a series of independent storage-batteries to be charged, and a series of switches, whereby any one or more of said batteries may be charged without affecting the others, or whereby all of said batteries may be charged simultaneously by being thrown into the circuit of the main line. One or more of the batteries may thus be cut out for anindefinite period without afi'ecting the capacity of the charging-line to charge the others.

The switches E, which controlthe connection of their respective batteries with the main or charging line, may be located in the respective houses, and protected by a locked box or casing, so as to be accessible only to the proper person or officer in charge of the batteries; or they may be outside, for example, in an opening in the sidewalk, under cover, in a manner somewhat similar to the organization of the cooks or valves by which gas is cut 05 from or turned onto houses from the outside.

The simple form of switch E shown in the drawings consists of a conducting-lever pivoted at e and electrically connected at the buttend with the wire 0, and making contact at its opposite end with the wire leading to the battery, so that the switch forms part of the circuit over which the charging-current passes. The switches, when in the position shown in full lines in the figures, close the circuit of the main line or its branches through the batteries D, the current, after its passage through one of said batteries, returning to the street and passing to the next battery or series of batteries, and so on, the arrangement on circuit being suflicientlyillustrated in the drawings. When one or more of said switches E are in the position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2 the respective battery or batteries D of the house or houses to which said switches belong are cut out, and no current flows thereto, inasmuch as the circuit through the battery will be broken.

In Fig. 2 the connection of the secondary batteries with the charging-line 0 depends wholly upon the switches E, each of which may be operated by hand to determine whether its respective battery or batteries shall be charged to form an independent source of electricity, or whether it shall be cut out without affecting the others. In Fig. 1, however, while we provide the switches E, in order that we may cut out any particular battery for an indefinite period without attracting the others, we have shown an organization of switches, F, whereby the storage-batteries may be simultaneously thrown into or cutout of circuit from the station at which the generator is located, or from any other point desired, so that they may be charged when desired and then cut out. Each of said switches F may consist of an armature pivoted at one end and electrically connected to the wire leading into the battery, and acted upon by a spring, f, to normally close the circuit of the main line through the armature, the contact-point 1, and the wire returning from the battery, so as to cut out the battery and prevent the current passing thereto. The circuit to the storage battery or batteries of each house therefore is kept open until the time for charging the batteries arrives, when the circuit is c-mpletcd and the current conducted through the batteries to charge them.

In order to close and open the circuit to the storage-batteries, we employ electro-magnets G, placed so as to act, when excited by a current of electricity traversing their coils, upon the switches or armatures F, to attract them and close the circuit to the batteries through said armatures, the contact-pointsQ, and the wires leading to and from the batteries. The controlling-magnets G are excited by the current of an electric generator passing over an independent circuit, H,'in which the electromagnets G are included. A switch or key, I, is included in the circuit H, by which said circuit may be made and broken at will, in order to throw the batteries in or cut them out of the main charging-circuit G. The switch I of any particular charging station or district into which a town or city may be divided for convenience is preferably located at the olfice of the station, so as to be under the immediate control of theengineer or electrician in charge. It will be evident that as soon as the circuit of the line H is broken the armature-switches will be returned by their springs to their normal position in contact with the contact-points 1, and thus cut out the secondary batteries, which are now to be used as independent sources of supply at night for the purpose of running the lampswith which the houses may be supplied.

The generator to furnish current to operate the armature-switches F may be a galvanic battery or a charged storage-battery; or, if

preferred, a portion of the current of the gen- I.IO

house to all points requiring lamps, the lamp or lamps J being suspended or mounted and connected in circuit in well-known ways, so as to receive the current of the battery, or a portion thereof, to produce the lights. The lamps may be either are or incandescent lamps, of well-known or any approved construction,and the number which may be run by the storage battery or batteries D of any one house or building is determined by the capacity of said batteryv or batteries. It will be understood that the circuit of the battery is completed through the lamp or lamps J only when light isdesired,and this is accomplished by switches or buttons which may be organized so as to be operated somewhat like the thumb-piece or button of the ordinary gas-bracket by which the flow of gas is turned on or shut 011'. In the drawings we have shown a simple switch, (1,

illustrated is shown as provided with circuit- Y connections (1, leading from the storage battery or batteries D to two lamps, J J.

We contemplate in our system to charge storage or secondary batteries of a large number of dwellings or other buildings during the day from stations at which the generators will be situated, and then cut out said batteries, so that they will be independent sources of electric supply to run the lamps during the succeeding night. The generator or generators B may then be employed at night to run a series of lamps direct-such as street-lampswhereby it will be understood that by our system of lighting we store during the day secondary batteries to be independent sources of light at night, and run a system of lamps at night directly by the current evolved by the generator or generators.

In Fig. 1 we show the lamps that are to be run directly by the current of the generator that charges the storage-batteries as consisting of street-lamps K, which, like the storagebatteries D, are preferably each provided with a switch E to cut them out indefinitely, if desired, and also with armature-switches F, the action of which is the reverse of that of the corresponding switches for the storage-batterics-that is to say, said armature-switches, when attracted by the excited electro-magnets G, will break the circuit to the lamps and cut them out, while the armature-switches of the storage-batteries D will complete the circuit to the storage-batteries, as hereinbet'ore stated, so that said batteries will be charged. When the circuit H is broken, however, the armature-switches will be no longer attracted, and the storage-batteries will be cut out, as before described, while the circuit through the lamps K will be established, so that said lamps will be run directly by the currentof the generator.

In Fig. 2 we have shown a second main line, 0, leading to the series of street-lamps K, which maybe either are or incandescent lamps, and the current of the generator at night is thrown upon said line without affecting or throwing current upon the main line C.

In order to readily switch the current of the generator B from one main line to the other to do the work required, we have provided a switch arrangement which we prefer to be organized as shown in Fig.2. The terminals of the main lines (l G are connected with contact-pieces. The positive pole of the generator B is electrically connected with a pivoted switch, L, capable of being turned to make contact with the positive terminal dot the main line C, while the negative pole of the generator is likewise connected with a switch, M, capable of being turned to make contact with the negative terminal 0 of said main line 0. The mainline (J thus constitutes a complete metallic circuit. When the generator is throwing current upon the line 0, including the storage-batteries, the said batteries will be charged, while when the switches L M are connected with the terminals of the line C, as

shown in dotted lines, said line C will be cut out and the lamps in the line C only will be operated.

It will be understood, ofcourse, that a switch or switches, 11, may be made part of the main line C at or near'the generator B, in the organization shown in Fig. 1, so as to break the circuit of said generator,if desirable or necessary. It will also be evident that it is not necessary to establish the current through the lamps K in Fig. 2 at the time of cutting out the charged seeon darybatteries, as the switches may rest at a point intermediate of the terminals of the main lines (J C.

By the organization we have described we largely increase the capacity of a generator for giving light at the-time light is required. For example, we will suppose the dynamo electric machine or generator B to be of light-giving capacity equal to five hundred horse-power, and that it is capable of storing one thousand secondary or storage batteries of light-giving capacity equal to one horse-power each during, say, seven hours ofdayligh t. The storagebatteries are then disconnected and constitute independent sources of power or light, while the generator may be employed to run direct during the period the light is required,say, five hundred lights equal to one horse-power each. lVe thus get at the period the light is to be used lightequal tofifteen hundred horsepower from a five-hundred-horse-power generator.

It will be understood that any form or construction or arrangement of secondary batteries suitable for the purpose may be used in our system, the particular form, construction, or arrangement of battery or batteries constituting no part of our present invention.

From what has been said it will be seen that we have invented a system of electric lighting that is safe, desirable, and economical. Ourrents of electricity of high tension can pass into the houses or other places no farther than the batteries D, which, as before stated, should be, for absolute safety, located in the cellar,

ICC

lower portion of the house away from inflammable material, or in an outhouse. Each house with its source of light or power is independent, and each house, moreover, is not dependent for its light at night upon the action of a generator of large capacity which is employed to run a large numberot'lights forother houses, as in the systems heretofore proposed. Gonsequently, should the action of the generator B be interrupted at night from any cause, it will afiect the lamps only which are being supplied directly by it.

We disclaim herein all the patentable subject-matter described, shown, or substantially indicated in this case, save the subject-matter recited in the two following clauses of claim, this present application being a division of our application filed January 9, 1882.

The said improvements claimed herein, to

which this present application is restricted,

and for which we desire to. secure Letters Patent, are- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a dynamo-electric machine or generator, a main line to receive the electric current of said generator, a series of independent storage-batteries electrically connected with said main line to be charged therefrom, a working-circuit for each of said independent batteries, including electrical apparatus to be operated by the energy of said batteries, and a switch for each of said batteries, whereby any one or more of said batteries and the apparatus worked by it may be cut out from the main line for an indefinite period without cutting out the others.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth, of a dynamo-electric machine or generator, a main line over which the current of said generator is conducted, a series of independent storage-batteries to be charged from said main line, a series of switches, one for each of said batteries, to simultaneously one or more of said batteries may he cut out from the main line for an indefinite period without cutting out the others or interfering with their operation.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this 2d day of June, A. D. 1882.

ELI 'l. STARR. \VM. J. PEYTON.

Witnesses to signature of Wm. J. Peyton:

L. B. WIGHT,

GEo. F. GRAHAM.

Witnesses to signature of Eli T. Starr: I

SAMUEL STARR, I JOHN A. WALLACE. 

